Young Wayne: Origin of the Bat
by Tooneyman
Summary: Growing up in poverty with his uncle and sick aunt, "Alred and Margaret Pennyworth." Young "Bruce Wayne," struggles with his emotions and nightmares of this parents murder on a tragic night many years ago. Bruce tries to live a normal life like every other kid, but can't seem to cope. Instead he falls into drug use and gets himself caught up with the law.


Chapter 1: You're a Mess

The room is filled with trash. Cans, chip bags and other junk food type items fill the floor. Over near the bed. Clothes are thrown everywhere. Scratching can be heard as a pencil slides across a sheet of plain white paper. Each line is drawn roughly as the paper bends to the picture. A figure in a mask is being drawn with dark shadows being scraped in behind him. Some small wires which are connected to a cellphone span across a dark black shirt with a metal band on it. Bruce Wayne's brown eyes are flustered as his ears are filled with heavy metal music. The banging and thrashing keep his mind on the task before him. He draws from his nightmares and the pain within his heart.

His room's door opens and a bald man with a small mustache walks in. He looks around and sees the posters on the wall of different heavy metal bands and hip hop artist. He looks over and sees a mess which was created from the night before. He sees Bruce sitting on his bed drawing on his sketch book and listening to his music. He walks in some more, but Bruce is in his own world as he continues drawing. "Alfred Pennyworth," who's wearing a small brown sweater and jeans looks over at the side of Bruce's night stand and notices a few cigarette butts and a small joint which had been rolled the previous night. He takes a deep breathe and calls out to Bruce. Bruce continues to ignore him as he scribbles along. Alfred walks over towards his bed and pulls on his foot which is dangling off the edge. He calls him again; but Bruce continues to ignore him as the loud music blasts. Alfred walks over towards Bruce and pulls the earbuds from his head. "Bruce!" he shouts.

Bruce looks up in shock and sees Alfred's eyes locked on him, "What up, unc?"

"What are you doing and what's this mess?" Alfred looks around the area and sees the cans and junk food wrappers everywhere. "We're you up partying all night again?"

Bruce just gives him a blank stare and tries to avoid eye contact, "Umm, yeah."

Alfred raises his voice, "On a school night, Bruce?" Alfred shakes his head in disgust and goes and sits down on Bruce's bed pushing some of the cans and junk food off to the side as they hit the floor. "Look, Bruce. I'm sorry I don't have time to be more involved in your life, but your aunt is very sick and I have to take care of her." He puts his hand on Bruce's leg. "Look I need you to get it together. I'm only one man. Right now, you're at a pivotal moment in your life. This is where your life is going to take shape and will defy who you become as a man." Alfred raises his hand up, "Now you sit around and mope; or you can go out and change the world." Alfred points to Bruce, "But remember that's going to be on you. I'm doing the best I can to raise you the way your father..." Alfred stops for a moment and takes a deep breathe. "Would have."

Bruce puts his sketch book down and throws it to the side of the bed. Get bounces up quickly and moves away from his uncle. "Except you're not my father and my father is dead."

Alfred gets up from the bed and looks over at Bruce who goes over towards his dresser. "I know I'm not your father, but I consider you my son and so does your aunt. We're doing everything we can to give you somewhat of a normal life."

Bruce slams his hand on his dresser as some of his action figures fall off. "I don't want you to give me a normal life. I just want you to leave me alone."

Alfred raises his voice as he grabs Bruce's shoulders. "I would leave you alone." Alfred points towards the mess over towards Bruce's bed. "But every time I do. You're either out late with those punks you hang around with after school or your here partying and getting high." He shakes Bruce, "You're father would be ashamed of you right now!"

Bruce pushes Alfred off of him and shouts back, "Don't talk about my father. You weren't there."

Alfred goes and grabs him again, "You're right I wasn't there, but I had to be the one who came and pick you up from the police station. How do you think I felt knowing my brother-in-law and my sister were murdered in front of you. How do you think I felt, Bruce?" Alfred tries to make Bruce look him in the eyes, but Bruce tries to avoid him. He just stares down at the floor at his bare feet and at the clutter of clothes around the dresser. Alfred lowers his tone a bit, but remains very serious, "How do you think I felt when I saw you covered in their blood? How do you think I felt, Bruce?" Tears start to form in Alfred's eyes. His breathing increases as he tries to hold himself together. His grip on Bruce's shoulders tightens.

Bruce looks Alfred in the eyes as tears form around his. Their eyes meet and Alfred gives him a big hug. "You're all your aunt and I have left of those two." Alfred backs off and looks at him again. "You're all we have." Alfred let's go of Bruce but keeps his hand on his right shoulder and kind of pushes him back and forth a bit with his grip tightened. "You're a good kid, Bruce, but right now you're a mess."

Bruce doesn't say anything; but allows himself a few tears to fall from his eyes as they flow down his face and hit the ground. For a moment Alfred and Bruce share a emotional moment together. Alfred takes another deep breathe before he lets go of Bruce's shoulder. He looks around the room again, "Alright, look! I've got to go to the store and get your aunt some medicine. I'll take you to school today." Alfred points towards the mess. "Pick this up and hop in the shower. Try to be done within about thirty minutes." Alfred pats Bruce on the shoulder and starts to walk out. He stops and looks at Bruce. "You know we love you, right?"

Bruce looks at Alfred and hesitates to answer, but musters up what he can, "Yeah, I know."

Alfred nods, "Good I just want you to know that, ok."

"I got it, Alfred. I got it." Bruce gives him a semi-smile. He goes over towards his bed and starts to pick up some of his closes. Alfred acknowledges him and walks out of the room closing the door behind him. Bruce goes over towards his sketch book and looks at the picture he had drawn throughout the night. It's a picture of a man with a mask holding a gun and it's pointing at his direction. Tears fill Bruce's eyes as he hears the sounds of a woman and a man scream. The color of red fills his mind as he throws the sketch book across the room. Bruce goes back to picking up this clothes along with the cans and junk food wrappers. He looks over towards his night stand and sees the cigaretter buds along with the joint he had smoked. Alfred's words ring in his ears, "You're a mess." He takes a deep breathe and grabs the tray. He goes over towards the trash can and drops the buds into it. Bruce finishes cleaning up his room and heads out of his room towards the shower.

Bruce picks up his book bag and puts it on his back. He's got different patches sewn into it with little spikes coming out. He's wearing a long black shirt with his favorite heavy metal band on it and a spike color wrapped around his left wrist. His black baggy flannel pants hang down and a small chain type belt around his waist. His black boots are a bit worn as he walks out of his room and closes the door. His fingernails are painted black and his eyes have black eyeliner on them. He closes his door to his room and heads down the hallway. As he makes his way down the hallway. The door to his aunt's and uncle's room is open. He hears a faint voice call him from inside their room. "Brucie, Brucie is that you, baby?"

He stops for a moment and turns his head towards the doorway. "Yes, aunt Margaret it's me."

He hears some coughing, "Please come see me."

He walks into the room. It's dark and the windows are covered from the sunlight. He sees the bed and a small Television is turn on. It's sitting at the top of a large pushed out wooden dresser. The news is on from channel four with an anchor man dressed up in a nice suite and his hair slicked back. He can barely hear the announcement, but it's showing a police chase of some criminals running from Gotham's P.D. He turns towards his aunt who is laying in bed. She looks very frail and he can sees she is snuggled underneath her blankets. Her curly white hair and thin face show in the light of the TV. She goes over to turn on the light, but Bruce rushes over towards her side of the bed and turns it on for her. "Thank you, Brucie. You're a good boy. " The light turns on and Bruce sees a glass of water on her night stand along with many different types of prescription drugs scattered about. His aunt looks at him with her blue cloudy eyes. She gives him a warm smile and pulls out her thin arm and pats the side of the bed for him to sit down. Bruce gives her a smile the best he can and goes and sits down slowly. She gives another cough and pulls out a small handkerchief from underneath her blanket to blow her nose. Bruce relaxes his body as he takes a few deep breathes. Margaret puts the handkerchief back under the blanket and gives Bruce another smile. Her beautiful frail cheeks light up as she stares at him trying to keep herself from coughing. "I heard you and your uncle arguing again."

Bruce grabs her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, "I'm sorry, auntie."

She takes her other hand and places it on his cheek. "Bruce, you don't have to apologize to me. I know. I understand you're in a massive amount of pain." She moves her hand down to his chest and places it gently near his heart. She feels it beat slowly. "Nobody in this house is going to understand what you've been through. But please remember your not alone. We're all suffering from their loss. It was such a tragedy." She puts her hand back up to his cheek. "You poor thing that night will forever be scared in your heart." She swallows and tries not to cough. "I wish there was some way, somehow I could take that pain away."

Bruce grabs her hand on his face and slowly pulls it away. "You don't have to worry aunty. I'll be, ok."

She strokes his face, "Brucie, we both know you're lying to me. Please be a good boy and tell me the truth. I ask that you don't lie to me anymore, ok." She coughs and Bruce grabs her hand before it falls down. A tear fills his eye ruining a bit of his eyeliner.

His aunt smiles at him, but with worry in her own eyes, "You're right. I'm not going to be, ok. But I'm going to try."

She nods her head up and down. "Thank you, Bruce for telling me the truth. That's young man I know." She goes to get up and give him a hug. Bruce slowly leans down and wraps his arms around her. "Do me a favor?"

"Yes!" he whispers.

"Try to keep up with your studies. You've got a brilliant mind, Bruce. It's a shame to let that genius of yours go to waste." She gives him a kiss on the cheek and he slowly helps her lower her body back down into her bed where she rests her head on her pillow. "The only thing I'm ever going to ask you to do is try."

Bruce keeps holding her hand and grips it firmly, "I know." He takes another deep breathe from the emotions flowing through him.

His aunt smiles and looks over towards the door where Alfred is standing with a sad look on his face; but gives a sharp and concerned look at Bruce. Bruce turns around and acknowledges his uncle who signals to him it's time to go. Bruce turns back towards his aunt and gently puts her hand down on the side of the bed. "I've got to head to school. I'll make sure to come tell you how my day went when I get home."

She nods her head in joy as her white cheeks fill with a bit of blood showing her blushing. "That sounds like a good plan my boy. I look forward to hearing all about it. Take care, Brucie." She gives his hand a squeeze and lets it go. She lets her body get wrapped back up in her blanket. Bruce gets up from the side of the bed and turns off the light on the night stand. He heads out towards the door where Alfred is waiting.

Alfred goes over towards Margaret, "I'm going to drop him off at school. If you need anything honey call me and I'll come right back."

Margaret gives Alfred a smile, "I will my Alfie." She blows him a kiss. "I love you."

Alfred blows her a kiss back, "I love you too, honey. Rest easy until my return." Alfred gives her a sad, but loving smile. He turns around and follows Bruce out the door. As they both head down the hallway Alfred stops Bruce for a moment. "Remember how much she loves you."

Bruce looks at his uncle and nods. "I know she does."

"Good, because you're keeping her going right now." Alfred puts his hand on Bruce's shoulder.

Bruce puts his head down, "I know I'm.. I'm.. going to try Alfred."

Alfred picks up Bruce's head and makes him look at him, "Don't try. Do! Alright. I need you to do." He points back towards the upstairs room. "For her sake."

Bruce stares deep into his eyes and sees his uncle is very concerned. Bruce nods and tries to pick himself up. "I will."

Alfred lets go of Bruce's shoulder and shakes his head up and down. "Good, now let's get you to school." Alfred signals to Bruce and they both head out of the house towards the front door.


End file.
